I'm new and I need some corn snake advice.

[flamemomma]

I adopted a corn snake off of craigslist which has turned out to be a less than ideal situation. This is the second corn snake I've ever owned, and whereas the first snake was a breeze...this one has been difficult.
I made my first mistake when I didn't thoroughly examine the snake before taking it home. The young men who had owned it said they couldn't keep it anymore. We lived 2 hrs away from eachother, so we met half way in a mall parking lot. I was under the impression that the snake was much larger than it turned out to be. It was absolutely freezing outside, the wind was blowing like crazy, and we were standing outside. They handed me a little deli container that I assume they had taken it home from the pet store in originally. I peaked inside and saw a little orange motley snake--I quickly closed the lid and put it in my warm car because I didn't want it to freeze. When I saw that it was so small, I just figured...Oh, well...we'll just take good care of him and watch him grow. But before we parted ways I did ask a few questions. 1. when did he last eat? I was told the snake never missed a meal and had been fed about 1 week ago. 2. what size prey does he eat? I was told fuzzies. 3. When was the last time that the snake shed? They said, it was pretty recent..and then as a afterthought he mentioned.."it had a bit of a rough time shedding last time." Hearing this I just thought...I'll just increase humidity next time around...I can give it some warm soaks...it'll be okay.
When we get home, we let it chill out undisturbed for a couple days (we being, myself and my 6 yr old son who was the original impetus to get a snake). When we took snake out the first time, my son observed that 1 eye was dull, while the other was shiny. I looked it up and thought that a retained eye cap was quite possible, considering that the snake hadn't shed properly. I also noticed that the skin of the snake was dull, not shiny and the poor snake looked dehydrated. Like the skin wasn't tight, it had wrinkles. He had drunk from the water immediately when I put him in his new home. I wondered if they had given him water in his previous home. But the snake didn't soak himself on his own volition. I went ahead and gave the snake soaks for about 30 min. every day for a couple days-the skin would look better momentarily, but the eye wasn't changing. I couldn't really see an "edge" of the eye cap...so I wasn't totally sure. The snake didn't eat the first 2 times I offered him pinkie's instead of fuzzies...just to get him eating with us. But the 3rd time, he chowed down happily. I set up a moist hide with moss, and I misted the habitat 2 xs a day (20 gallon tank with screen lid) The humidity was about 50-80% depending upon how recently I sprayed.
One morning I peeked into his house and saw that he was just starting a new shed, it was around his head, but looked like a full piece...and I was SUPER PSYCHED thinking....Finally!!! I've gotten this guy to the other side of this dehydrated, dull eye, dull skinned issue...he's gonna be healthy and good.
But when we got home...I took him out and was horrified to discover that it looked like the "bad" eye was protruding from his head. and most of the skin came off in big pieces, but it wasn't a perfect continuous piece. I felt defeated. And although the snake was acting normal-I felt sure that this little guy wasn't going to make it. I put him back in his house. When I checked again the next day...the eye wasn't sticking out...but it looked black. I started to wonder..if the snake had been blind on that side from the beginning. I decided to just take the best care of the little guy and see what happened. I am a single mom. I'm not rich. and I live in a rural area where the vets don't really treat exotic animals.
A few days later--I take snake out and it looks like he has black scabs on 3 places on his body. I am at a loss...I take everything out...I clean everything. I soak him in weak betadine bath. I put neosporin in. I use papertowels as substrate. I immediatly turn off the heating pad under the tank. thinking maybe it's a burn...but it's not a continuous area...it's like little dashes...seperated by distances. It's not scale rot...I have changed the warm side around and added extra layers of cardboard over the heating pad area...so that there is NO WAY that the snake can have any direct contact with the glass. Even though...I never saw him make contact before.
It shed again...but in lots of little pieces. I've been soaking and peeling and it seems like more scabs have formed...but they aren't black like the first ones. Are they happening because I've been removing the skin that's flaking off? I'm not removing skin that doesn't have an "edge"that's raised. I keep medicating it and keeping it clean...and all I want is this little guy to heal up and be healthy. The snake acts and eats normally. IT seems like shedding is a HUGE issue for this guy...and I know that's how they heal...but when there are injuries on the first layer...and the first layer comes off..doesn't that just peel off the scab? Is this guy got some genetic issue? The snake is approx. 20" long.
I'm not giving up. But nothing I have read. or images I've looked at really talks to what I'm experiencing. Thanks for even reading this whole thing. I feel like this is like a confessional. I'm just feeling as bad about this as possible. I really just hope to get to the other side.